Crescenta Valley football stays in striking distance of Pacific League’s top spot
PASADENA — For the Crescenta Valley High football team, the de facto playoff for the Pacific League title continued against host Pasadena with the Falcons mired in a three-way tie for second. However, with three games to go, the Falcons still had a clear view to a successful defense of their Pacific League title if they won out down the stretch starting with the host Bulldogs.
On Friday, Crescenta Valley took care of business against the host Bulldogs, 41-14, with quarterback Evan Nelson producing four total touchdowns in a breakout performance.
“[Nelson] keeps getting better,” CV Coach Paul Schilling said. “He is a senior, but he hasn’t had a lot of reps at varsity quarterback, so we’re really proud of him.”
Nelson, in his fourth game as the Falcons’ primary quarterback, was productive both through the air and on the ground against Pasadena, scoring three of the visitors’ five rushing touchdowns.
“I’ve never done that,” Nelson said of his three rushing touchdowns. “It was a few QB sneaks, but I guess it still counts.”
The senior had three one-yard rushing touchdowns, one in each of the final three quarters. Through the air, Nelson was an efficient 18 of 22, including connecting on his final eight throws, for 205 yards, one score and no turnovers.
“It was a good game all around,” Nelson said. “We had a good game plan and we executed it.”
His passing touchdown came with 2:43 left in the third quarter and went 35 yards to a wide open Andrew Traber, who bobbled the ball slightly before hauling it in and reaching the end zone. Traber finished with two catches for 50 yards, while the leading receiver for Crescenta Valley was Boston Lakin. Lakin, who also had an interception, caught eight passes for 69 yards. Junior Will Rees had five catches for 56 yards.
The Falcons rushing leader was Brandon Beardt, who had 77 yards on 11 carries. The other two Falcons to reach the end zone on the ground were Sean McDonald and Joe Suh. McDonald scored the first points of the night as part of Crescenta Valley’s 20-point second quarter on a three-yard run. Suh scored the final touchdown of the second-quarter onslaught with a scoring run from four yards out. Suh’s run was set up by an interception by Dacota Cummins.
With the victory, Crescenta Valley (6-2, 4-1) maintains second place in league, where it’s tied with Burbank, which defeated Arcadia on Friday.
Before Crescenta Valley, ranked No. 7 in the CIF Southern Section Southeast Division, hung 41 points on the Bulldogs (4-4, 2-3), Pasadena had allowed just six points on its home turf, coming on a fumble recovery touchdown on special teams against Glendale.
Two Bulldogs had big nights against the Falcons. Pasadena receiver Blake Jenkins caught seven passes for 101 yards. Pasadena running back Jeremiah Jones carried the ball 21 times for 103 yards. Jones produced Pasadena’s first points of the night on a pitch play he ran for an eight-yard touchdown with 4:56 left in the third quarter.
The game was delayed for almost a half-hour in the fourth quarter when Tristan Whitaker broke his arm covering a kickoff. The junior got a displaced fracture of his right forearm that was stabilized by the Bulldog medical team before the paramedics arrived and transported the junior to the hospital by ambulance.
Up next for Crescenta Valley is a showdown at Burroughs for a share of first place in the Pacific League the day before Halloween.
“This was a good game,” Schilling said. “I thought it was a little bit of a trap game because our kids are thinking about Burroughs next week and a league-championship-like battle.”